Oprah: Speaking of love, you said on one of the biography shows that it's been a honeymoon ever since you and Matthew married. True?

SJP: Not entirely. I have a fantastic husband. Here's the honeymoon part: I still think he's the funniest, wittiest, most clever man I've ever known. He's still the person who makes me laugh harder than anybody—and I still want him to laugh at me. A few times I've said to him, "I'm not getting the big laughs from you today." It means something for him to laugh, because he's so bright. He's from a world my mom held up as really desirable— that Philip Roth, superliterary world. His parents were very much a part of the intellectual art crowd. I think a lot about his career, and I worry about him. This guy's got four movies coming out, and he's about to go back in and save a Broadway show [at the time of the interview, he was returning to The Producers ]. I think people need to know about that. Few people do what Matthew does.

Oprah: You light up when you talk about him.

SJP: He's really swell. Yes, he's a pain and he's indecisive and he's quiet—and I'm difficult with all my complications. We fight, and we bother each other sometimes. But he's one of a kind. And he's my son's father. I feel like I've given birth to a little bit of Matthew. I wanted that. Now that we have a child, I'm harder on him than I used to be, and I regret it all the time. When I say "I'm sorry" so often, the words lose their value.

Oprah: It's like, "If you're sorry, then just stop it."

SJP: Right. I think we have a good marriage. We'll see. We've been together for 12 years. That's a long time.

Oprah: It is. You were in your early 30s when you married, and you're approaching 40 now. What kind of woman do you want to become?

SJP: A better one. So much of my life lately has been Sex and the City, and now I want more. I want to be a better parent, a better actress—to keep myself challenged and terrified. And I want to read books and have conversations with my friends about plays we've seen. I want to mess up a million recipes at home, like I used to.

Oprah: What do you like to cook?

SJP: Roast chicken and pasta. I cook a lot.

Oprah: So after the show, you'll be doing more of that.

SJP: I'll be more present in my own life. My world feels so compartmentalized now: There's work, and then there's rushing home to see the baby and put him to bed. It's like, "Remember me? I'm the one who loves you." Once he's asleep, I run upstairs to answer phone calls and sort mail. After Sex and the City is finished, I might do a couple of movies a year, and I'll have time to see friends. We'll go on vacations again.

Oprah: You'll have more to give to yourself.

SJP: Fill the tank up. I don't know how an actress is supposed to observe and create new stuff if she hasn't been on the streets, brushing up against humanity. You have to have a life. A well-rounded life is more attainable than, say, having a small business by 40. But I do want to own a grocery store one day, much later in my life.

Oprah Why?

SJP: I've just always wanted one. I want my store to be a place where you can have a running tab. I want to hold mail for people when they're out of town. I want to rent bicycles in the summer. I want a babysitter to be able to call down and say, "I'm watching the Klein children, and I have no money. Can I borrow 20 bucks for baby food?" I want to sell beautiful cheese, maybe some lovely olives from France or Italy.

Oprah: You like talking about food, but you must not eat a lot. I'm lookin' at ya!

SJP: I do eat a lot.